


Suspicions

by 80sGayTrashGoblin



Series: Goblin's DotU Verse [4]
Category: Voltron: Lion Force (1984)
Genre: Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, BAMF Allura (Voltron), Caffeine Addiction, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Rewrite: s02e02 Envoy from Galaxy Garrison, Excessive Worldbuilding, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Pidge stabs a bitch, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24766069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/80sGayTrashGoblin/pseuds/80sGayTrashGoblin
Summary: It's been seven months since Explorer Team 404 crash landed on Arus. It's been seven months since they became the Voltron Force. It's been four months since the Galaxy Garrison revoked their MIA status and acknowledged them as alive again.Now, a general from the Galaxy Garrison as well as a team of five pilots are set to arrive on Arus. What is his motivations, and why was he there?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Goblin's DotU Verse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166207
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you're confused, this is based on an AU. The explanation is here: https://80sgaytrashgoblin.tumblr.com/post/620414988135399424/baltdau-project-hub

Keith yawned, sipping on his cup of coffee. He sighed, sniffing the inviting aroma of caffeine and rich coffee grounds, letting the scent soothe him. He had stayed up all night filling out paperwork, and he probably needed a nap, but he needed to be awake if the Drules ended up attacking again. 

He leaned back against the table, savoring the relative peace of the moment. The scent of coffee, the buzzing of the castle lights, the pitter patter of mice feet. Sometimes he just needed to close his eyes and appreciate the scents and sounds of the world around him. 

“Hey Keith!” 

Keith shrieked, dropping his cup and jumping away. Allura caught his cup of coffee and started giggling, so Keith huffed and swiped his cup back. “Jeez, Allura. Not while I have my coffee.” 

“Coran is calling a Voltron Force meeting. Apparently there’s some envoy coming from the Garrison.” 

He sighed, chugging the coffee and leaving the cup in the sink. “I presume you’ve herded everyone else already?” At Allura’s nod, he stretched, then followed her to the control room. “Why is there an envoy coming from the Garrison?” Allura just shrugged, so Keith sighed again. He supposed he would only find out at the meeting.

He walked in to find Coran standing at the console, Pidge juggling three grenades, Hunk scrolling through his phone and Lance playing with the cat on the floor. “Pidge, stop juggling grenades. Hunk, get off your phone and pay attention. Lance, stop petting the cat and pay attention.” 

Pidge whined as he put the grenades away, Hunk sighed and pocketed his phone, and Lance simply just picked up the cat. Keith sighed, turning to Coran. “So why is a Garrison envoy on the way?” 

Coran sipped something unidentifiable out of a mug, pressing a few buttons before turning to them. “The Garrison has decided to send a General, in order to take over and oversee the operation.” 

“Wait, the Garrison is sending someone to take over after we’ve been doing this for about half a year now?” Lance shouted, and a moment later the cat in his arms meowed louder. Keith had to agree with Lance on that one: they were declared MIA until a few months in, and only send someone out to help four months after they initially asked for relief agents on Arus. And they didn’t even send relief agents, they sent someone to take over. They had defended Arus, five people in a team, on their own for seven months and there was not even a goddamn thank you.

Unfortunately, as much as Keith had to agree, his hands were tied. He was a Captain of the Force, and a General far outranks him. As much as he could object, he can’t. He’d risk losing his job and the lions and his friends. 

Keith just allowed himself a small sigh, before asking “When is the envoy going to arrive?” 

“Tomorrow.” 

Keith nodded, spinning on his heel back in the direction of the kitchen. “Alright. I have a lot of paperwork, so please don’t come in my office until it’s time for drills.” 

Lance and Hunk looked at each other knowingly behind his back. He got ahead on paperwork yesterday, and there was a missing bottle of whiskey in the pantry. He definitely wasn’t doing paperwork.

* * *

Keith sighed, mixing a bottle of tequila and a bottle of vodka together, then taking a shot. His paperwork was done, and he couldn’t shake the sneaking feeling that something was going to go wrong. This visit was so out of the blue, and it was weird that he wasn’t made aware of the general’s arrival. Besides, there was something fishy going on. He noticed that there were Galaxy Garrison parts on some of the robeasts they were fighting. 

_They’re trying to get rid of us. But why?_

Regardless, Pidge is probably going to stab someone, because that’s what he does, and Lance was going to say something that makes the Garrison flip their shit. That’s to be expected by now. 

Keith shook his head, pouring out another shot. Worrying about what might happen in the future is irrelevant. When shit goes down, they’ll figure it out like they always do. Right now he’s drinking to forget about his problems, not to keep thinking about them. 

There was a knock on the door, and Keith sighed, shouting “Come in!” 

Hunk stepped into the office, shutting and locking the door behind him. “Look, I know you didn’t want us coming in, but you seemed on edge- Holy shit Keith, what are you doing?”

Keith downed the shot in one go, then poured another one. “Mixing tequila and vodka and taking shots.” He offered the shot to Hunk. “Want one?” 

“If that’s what you have, where’s the bottle of whiskey?” 

“Coran took it.” 

“That fucking figures.” Hunk took the shot, downing it in one gulp and scrunching his nose. “This tastes like shit.” 

“I can’t taste it. I mixed a couple cans of Red Bull in my coffee this morning.” 

“Jesus, Keith, you’re gonna have a heart attack.” 

“Listen, if you’re going to question my health decisions I’m going to kick you out of my office.” 

Hunk sighed, leaning against the desk as he handed the shot glass back to his commander. “Look, why the fuck are you drinking at seven in the morning? You’ve been drinking more caffeine lately, which I’m not going to gloss over by the way, and now you’re full on drinking?”

Keith swirled the shot in his hands almost contemplatively, before setting it down with a sigh. “When we’ve fought the robeasts recently, have you noticed anything about them?” 

“You mean aside from the nipple drills?” Keith snorted at Hunk’s remark. “Not anything out of the ordinary, no.” 

“They’ve had Garrison parts.” 

… “Wait, what?!” 

Keith grabbed one of the file folders on his desk, opening it to reveal pictures of the latest robeasts. In obnoxiously pink highlighter were Galaxy Garrison parts, attached to the robeasts.

“Well. Shit.” 

“Yeah. This starts happening, and then out of the blue an envoy is sent? Not a coincidence.” Keith downed the shot. “Had proper procedure been followed, I would’ve gotten an email a week beforehand, but I’ve heard nothing about this.” 

“The Garrison’s never really liked us, so they could’ve not said anything just to be petty. And the Galra could just be using some of the parts of Garrison ships they downed.” 

Keith sighed, pouring another shot. “I hope that’s the case.” 

“Besides, Chief,” Hunk placed a hand reassuringly on Keith’s shoulder. “Regardless, Pidge is probably going to stab the general.” 

Keith snorted at that. “You’re right.” 

“Now.” Hunk grabbed the two bottles of alcohol. “You’re going to go take a nap, since you look like you’re going to fall flat on your face if you don’t, and we’re canceling drills today. And regardless of what happens, we’ll be fine.”

Keith rolled his eyes, trying to push himself up but nearly falling over. “Put the alcohol in the bottom right drawer of my desk.” 

Hunk simply nodded, stashing the bottles and grabbing his commander’s arm, steadying him as they walked to Keith’s room. “Damn, you really are wasted.” 

“Well, that was the point.” 

“Also, do you normally mix vodka and tequila together?” 

“Only when I drink in my office. If it’s in my office, I’m trying to get hammered.” 

“Fair enough.” 

Hunk dropped Keith on his bed unceremoniously, and Keith was out like a light bulb. He sighed, turning around and closing the door behind him. Sometimes Keith was his commander, but right now Keith was simply his friend.

* * *

Keith ran a brush through his hair again, trying to get it to stay down while assessing in the mirror if the dark circles under his eyes will be too noticeable. It was five sharp, and he was wondering if he should put on his Galaxy Garrison uniform or wear his usual tracksuit. Which would be more suspicious, considering they didn’t give him a warning in advance. He was also trying to balance the bag of ice on the base of his shoulder and his neck, because there was a really large hickey there that he needed to go down. 

He snorted to himself. He’s trying to hide a hickey like a teenager. Well, he was nineteen, but he felt thirty. Whatever.

Speaking of which, that was another problem. His and Lance’s relationship. Despite it being 2083, superiors finding out you were in a relationship with another guy would lead to honorable discharge. Which would lead mysteriously to suicide two weeks later. Keith made it this far, he’s not going to die yet dammit. 

He yanked on the tangle in his hair, growling under his breath as it came out. The others knew they were a thing, but did Allura know they technically weren’t supposed to be together? Plus, there was a problem of the Garrison possibly trying to kill them- sorry, ‘honorably discharge’ them.

He yelped as a kiss was pressed to his shoulder, and he glared at Lance behind him. “Why are you up this early?” Lance grumbled, burying his face in his neck.

Keith chuckled, dropping his brush on the counter. “You can go back to bed, you know.” 

Lance looked up at him, his concerned eyes meeting Keith’s worried ones. “So can you.” 

He sighed in defeat. “Today the general arrives.”

“That all?” Keith raised an eyebrow as Lance flopped on him. “Look, when he shows up, we act like we’re living our best lives, Garrison be damned, and if this turns out to be a Bokar situation again, we kick his ass six ways to Sunday.” 

He chuckled, leaning back against Lance, letting his presence soothe him. “You’re right, Lance. Although no PDA, or anything that would get us kicked out. They’re still paying us.” 

“I promise as long as you stop worrying.” 

They hooked their pinkies together, and Keith sighed, letting himself relax a little. “Alright, I’ve gotta go get coffee. We’ve got four hours since he gets here.” 

“I’m coming with you. Hunk said you put two Red Bulls in your coffee yesterday.” 

“Oh for the love of- I don’t need a chaperone!” 

* * *

A cup of coffee, a session of wrangling everyone else into shape, and four hours later, the five of them were waiting on the drawbridge for the General. Allura was in a more formal dress than the jumper she usually wears, and was actually on the bridge with Coran. The boys all stood under the arch of the entryway, and Keith watched on as the other three played rock-paper-scissors to pass the time. Lance kept losing cause he kept glancing over at his boyfriend. 

It felt so great to say. Keith was his boyfriend. It made Lance giddy just thinking about it. 

“Rock.” 

“Scissors.” 

“Lance, did you just throw scissors again?” 

“Huh? Oh, I did.” 

“This is the tenth time in a row.” Hunk rolled his eyes, looking over at where Lance was. “If you want to duck out and just stare at Keith’s ass, you can.” 

“Shut up Hunk!” Lance’s face flushed, and he pulled his eyes back to the other two. Pidge was grinning like the Cheshire cat, and Hunk just looked frustrated. He could even hear Allura giggling from her position on the bridge. 

“Guys.” Keith warned, eyes trained on the Garrison craft descending, although if Lance looked hard enough he could see the faint blush on his skin. They separated, and Lance scooted close enough to Keith that he could be supportive but far enough that they just seem like friends.

The General stepped out of the ship, taking a look around him, his lip curled like he just ate something sour. When he saw the boys he sneered in disdain, before focusing back on the princess in front of him. Five privates stepped out of the ship, and Lance ball-parked them in their thirties. 

“Greetings, Princess Allura.” The general bowed, much taller than Allura, and certainly more intimidating. Although Allura once stabbed him when he tried to take a bag of chocolate from her, so maybe he’s giving the general too much credit. 

“Til’quix, General.” Allura curtsied, the altean seemingly slipping right off her tongue. “Thank you for arriving to help.” 

“Of course.” The General stepped back, looking around like he was admiring the scenery. “This planet is lovely. It would be a shame for it to fall into Drule hands again.” 

Lance narrowed his eyes. He got bad vibes from the envoy, the same vibes that he got from Bokar all those years ago. He met Keith’s eyes, and shook his head. Keith’s eyes widened, seeming to get the message, and he mouthed ‘ _we’ll talk later_.’

The General and Allura approached them, with the envoy and Coran trailing behind them. They straightened slightly to attention. “Captain Keith Kogane. It is good to see you.” Lance could hear the poison dripping from those words, but in the landscape of political diplomacy, he knew his boyfriend could handle himself. 

“Likewise.” Keith’s voice was cool and collected, not giving any information away. While the General was an open book, openly showing his disdain, Keith kept all his cards close to his chess. That’s how he keeps winning Poker. 

“I see you and your team are in your civilian clothing.” The General’s words were barbed, clearly aiming to dig at Keith. Even Allura tensed beside him. 

“With all due respect, sir, you didn’t give us a week’s response that is customary.” The flat monotone voice was betrayed by Keith’s narrowed eyes. He was ready to give back what he was given. 

“Even so, a team under the service of the Galaxy Garrison should be ready at any time.” 

“I don’t suppose you would know this, but we wear uniforms other than the Garrison uniforms when in battle. I don’t suppose it would make a difference whether we were wearing Garrison uniforms or civilian wear when battle struck.” 

The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Lance held his breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

“I suppose it doesn’t.” The General turned, entering the castle without a word at Allura’s side, and everyone else sighed in relief. Keith turned cooly on his heel, and Lance walked nearly in sync, following the duo to the dining room. Keith was ramrod straight, not an ounce of the wild and free Keith that Lance knew. “Now, Princess, I heard that you set up a feast for our arrival. Dinner will be an excellent place to discuss business.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter this time, but it felt better than trying to force a confrontation into this chapter.

Lance wasn't Hunk, who just thinks with his stomach, but damn if Allura didn't outdo herself this time. Stopcock chicken, smoked asparagus, fried rice tossed in ginger, and a fruit salad. The lovely aroma in the air was to die for, and even the very strict Garrison pilots that were on the envoy were pile driving.

Also unlike Hunk, the food didn't blind him from the political talk going on next to him.

"So, how long has this war progressed for now?" The General asked, rather disdainfully, as if wars usually only lasted a week.

"Seven months." Keith answered elegantly, raising a piece of chicken to his lips. Lance tried not to make his staring obvious, and instead refocused his thoughts on how Keith managed to get his hands on wooden chopsticks.

"While the constant battling is difficult on the budget, the kingdom has slowly rebuilt itself." Allura spoke, trying so hard to defuse the tension in the room and act like the Acting Queen she's meant to be. "Of course, with the help of allies from Pollux, we've been recovering faster than we would have alone, but we're still two war torn planets. Some aid would be very much appreciated..."

The unspoken question hung in the air, before the General cleared his throat. "I do not have the power to relegate resources, but I will pass on your message to the right authorities, Princess Allura."

Allura nodded tersely, taking a bite of asparagus. "Thank you."

Lance nudged Keith with his foot, shoving another piece of chicken into his face. When he could see that he had the other's attention, he tapped out, _Talk?_

Keith tapped back. _Not yet._

He huffed, supposing that was the best he was going to get at the moment, chewing on his chicken to try to distract from the growing unease he felt. It was really good chicken though.

A flash of red and a loud drone. The battle alarms were going off. "Get to the lions!" Two voices shouted in unison. Ten people moved, then paused.

Keith and the General had shouted in tandem, yet they were talking to different people.

"Team, get to the lions." Keith's voice was low and steady, and he only uses that tone of voice when he was really pissed. 

"Stop them." The General commanded.

The stand off was broken by complete and utter chaos. Keith grabbed a carving knife off the table, Hunk charged at a dude with a chicken leg in his mouth, Allura was taking off a heel and Pidge had straight up disappeared. That was the only glimpse Lance got before he pulled out a gun from his jacket and fired straight up in the air.

The General and the pilots dropped to the ground. Lance took that opportunity to vault over the table, snagging a cherry off the fruit salad and dashing to the doorway. Allura caught up with him surprisingly quickly, probably because she was barefoot now, and Lance didn't look back because he knew Keith and Hunk could handle themselves.

The alarm was starting to hurt his head as Lance pushed himself to run. He scrambled into the control room and almost tripped in his haste, sliding his key over the scanner and leaping.

* * *

It was a robeast. Of course. Lotor had to send a robeast to interrupt the best stopcock chicken Hunk had ever made. He was quite proud of it. Allura helped him.

He's definitely taking some him-time to grab the leftovers and finishing them off in his lion.

Topaz growled in his mind (and wasn't that a thing to get used to), and Hunk focused less on the loss of his dear chicken and more on the battle in front of him. 

Quite frankly, he was bored out of his mind, being the leg. While Pidge and Lance get all the action, swinging the sword around, he was stuck making sure they didn't fall over.

It was a very important job, but still.

A sword sliced clean through the torso of the robeast. Hunk quickly jotted down the location of this one, so that he and Pidge can go and scavenge for parts, before flipping the switch that let him stop being a leg and become a lion again.

Topaz growled in his mind again, and Hunk sighed. "Look, I know you want me to be more involved, but unless you have a more efficient method of communication other than screaming into the comms, please enlighten me."

"What's going on?" Lance asked him.

"Topaz wants me to focus on the fight instead of on the loss of my best stopcock chicken, so I told her that she should give us a better method of speaking."

"Topaz? That's the name you came up with?"

"Well, Allura came up with Sapphire, so I just continued the jewel theme."

"That figures."

Hunk jumped when he heard the rhythmic clicking, then relaxed when he remembered. That's just how the lions communicate for now. They just started communicating with the lions two weeks ago, cut a man some slack.

"Uh, can you repeat that please?"

A rumble that almost sounded like a chuckle, then the clicking in Morse code began again. _Lion knight speak methods deep in royal archive. Pink find book._

"Well, I'll ask her." Hunk leaned back, before another question popped into his head. "Topaz, why do you call Allura pink and me gold?"

 _Your spirits._ The lion clicked. _Your spirit gold. Hers pink._

"That makes sense."

"That is probably an enlightening conversation," Keith's voice came through the comm, "But what on Earth are you taking about?"

"Well, I first asked Topaz-"

"Topaz?"

"The yellow lion. I named her because-"

"We can get into that later, Hunk. You asked Topaz?"

"Right. I asked Topaz about communication other than screaming into the comms at each other, like, like-"

"Psychic communication?"

"Yeah! And she said the answer would be in a book in the Royal Archives, and that Allura could probably find it."

"That's pretty smart, actually. Another way to communicate in case our comms are tapped into."

"Also I asked her why she calls us colors, and she said it's because of the colors of our spirits."

"Fair enough." Hunk could hear Keith sigh through the comms. "Now, let's get back to the castle. This mess needs to be sorted out once and for all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept all the Morse code messages very simple because have you seen it? A short message is still a really long series of beeps, I can't bear to know what a long one would look like.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith stalked back into the castle, and Lance fell into step with him. It almost reminded him of being back in the Garrison: making sure to stay close enough to Keith to be supportive but far enough to preserve his reputation. It was funny, in a sad way, how even though they were light years from the Garrison Academy, they felt much more trapped here than back at school. 

Hunk, Pidge and Allura were following behind him. They made their way to the control room, where the envoy awaits.

“Captain Keith Akira Kogane,” the general practically spat at them, his venom mainly focused on their commander. “You disobeyed orders, and flew the lions even when told not to. For this, you and your team, with the exception of Princess Allura, are under arrest.” 

Everyone kind of moved and kind of not. Lance moved his hand over his blaster, and so did Allura and Hunk next to him. Pidge suddenly had a knife in his hands, and the pilots on the envoy had grabbed their blasters and were prepared to draw them. Even Coran had grabbed his cane and adjusted his stance subtly. In fact, the only ones who hadn’t moved were the general, and Keith. 

“With all due respect, General,” Keith said with a tone that betrayed that he really didn’t mean it. “In the Command Conduct subsection of the Garrison code, section v.xii states that a captain can disregard an order from a higher-up if he believes that the order would jeopardize the mission or his team. If I had let five newcomers, who are inexperienced with both the lions and the teamwork and communication necessary to pilot Voltron, let alone fight the robeasts, we would have all been doomed.” 

The General stepped forward. “You are four cadets that have never been on a mission, and don’t have any experience in Garrison Command structure. Not to mention that your particular group, Kogane, has a very long history of delinquency and trouble. On your first mission, you have managed to get yourself captured by the galra, and instead of reporting back once you escaped, you purposefully dropped communication until a Garrison envoy came four months earlier.” 

Keith took a deep breath in, before responding. “Again, with all due respect, we could not communicate back to the Garrison. We were barely able to fend for the planet until the envoy arrived, and we can still barely do so-” 

“I don’t want to hear your excuses!” The General snapped. “You are the captain of an Explorer Team. You must listen to me. I am your superior officer. You may have a brain that Hawkins respected, but the commander is dead. You’re nothing without him behind you.” 

As the General continued to rant, Lance could see Keith become more and more upset. He was stoic, but Lance could see him digging his fingernails into his palm. Lance, for his part, was just barely keeping the feeling of his blood boiling under wraps. 

“Need I remind you that you’re a bastard who just managed to get in on a scholarship because you were friends with Hawkin’s kid. Your silver tongue may have convinced the other generals, but you’re only useful if you can obey us.” 

Everyone was getting more and more agitated around Lance. Himself included. He could handle insults hurled at him, but insulting his family? That he could not handle. 

“You, with everything you’ve done, have been a big thorn in the Garrison’s side, especially since you can’t control your team. You’re a liability. You cannot be trusted with the lions.” 

Allura had shifted her stance subtly, Hunk had his hand on his blaster, and Pidge was- Wait, where’s Pidge?

“Quite frankly, we’ll all be better off without you-GAH!” 

Oh. There’s Pidge. 

Lance ran over to Keith, dragging him out of the way of a blaster bolt. Hunk and Allura had forced themselves to protect the two of them, and Pidge just sat on top of Hunk’s head, looking very pleased as his knife dripped with the General’s blood. The replacement pilots made a barrier in front of the General, who was hunched over and pressing a hand to his stab wound. 

“Alright, that’s enough,” Allura stepped forward, talking with the authority and confidence of her status. Talking like a queen. “You need to leave. Get out of my castle, and get off of my planet.” 

“And whose order is that?” One of the replacement pilots snapped. It dawned on Lance that they probably didn’t recognize Allura without her makeup from the dinner. 

“That is a commandment from Acting Queen Allura of Arus.” 

They all paled. Lance didn’t really pay attention to them as they scuttled away, focusing on his boyfriend next to him. Who was pale. And shaking a lot. Which was bad. 

Keith just straightened, turning around and ignoring them all. “I’m going back to my office. Please don’t disturb me.” 

Everyone just looked at each other. No one really knew what to do now.

Keith was pretty sure if his life was in a movie, this current moment would be a part of a really sad montage with really sad music. He was currently sitting in his office, under his desk, in the dark, drinking Red Bulls and vodka and tequila in a combination that probably wasn’t very healthy. But he wasn’t drinking for his health, it was for the opposite. 

_ “You’re nothing without him behind you.”  _

_ “Need I remind you that you’re a bastard who just managed to get in on a scholarship because you were friends with Hawkin’s kid.”  _

_ “You’re only useful if you can obey us.”  _

_ “You’re a liability.”  _

_ “Quite frankly, we’ll all be better off without you.”  _

Keith kept drinking, trying desperately to ignore the tears running down his face, or the fact that his body really wanted to cry. He felt the iron grip of expectations around him, heard his father’s voice in his head. 

_ “You’re nothing if you can’t stand for yourself.”  _

_ “You’re a brat! You can’t just rely on other people!”  _

_ “You’re only useful if you can bring in a profit.”  _

_ “You’re a liability.”  _

_ “I’m better off without you.”  _

He muffled the sob in his throat with more alcohol, feeling the burn on his tongue. He closed his mind off to the Black Lion for now, not wanting to face even more judgement for his decisions. 

There was knocking on the door, then jiggling the door handle, then muffled whispers, then rotating a key, and then finally opening the door. “Keith?” Lance’s voice called out from the doorway. 

Instead of acknowledging his boyfriend like a responsible person, Keith took another shot of vodka. 

The lights turned on, and Lance walked around the small office. “Keith? Are you here- Holy shit.” 

Keith could vaguely feel hands under his armpits, hoisting him up, but he was lost in his head. In hindsight, the fact that he could see sounds was not very good, but whatever. He didn’t question it at the time. He was pretty sure he was losing it, but all he could hear was the General’s words and his father’s swimming around his ears. 

“Keith, none of that’s very good. You aren’t supposed to see sounds.” 

Oops. He’d been talking out loud. He needs another shot. 

“No, you don’t need another shot. What you need is to go to bed.” 

Maybe they’re right. 

“What?” 

Keith is a liability. Here he was, drinking in the dark in his office, because he couldn’t deal with the situation.

“You’re not a liability. He was just a dick, and got what he deserved. Besides, we all expected Pidge to stab him. It was just a matter of when.” 

But he was right. Keith was nothing without the Garrison behind him. He only made it this far because Hawkins picked him up. 

“You had an opportunity, Keith. Everything after that was the result of your hard work. Except for the trauma. That was the Drule’s fault.” 

Keith snorted from where he was hanging off of Lance’s shoulders. He could still see sounds, but his head didn’t feel as stuffed with cotton. Well, it still did, but his heart didn’t feel as heavy. He felt emotionally better, even if he physically felt worse. 

“Well, you just puked. I would say you don’t feel better.”

Keith did not respond, because he passed out. 

Lance sighed as he flopped on the couch in the lounge. He just got back from changing his boyfriend into some pajamas, and putting him to bed. Quite frankly, Lance is not going to drink alcohol for a week now. 

“You good, bud?” Hunk asked, shaking his shoulder gently. 

Lance, for his part, rolled over with a sigh. “I’m so tired,” he grumbled. “That fucker had to come in and ruin everything, and I found Keith taking vodka and tequila and Red Bull shots.” 

“And you didn’t take him to Doctor Gorma?” Hunk asked. 

“Look, I wanted to live tomorrow, and Keith on painkillers will not hesitate to judo flip me over the castle walls.” 

“Touche.” 

“Is Keith alright?” Allura rushed into the room, dressed in a simple blouse and shorts now that she’s not in battle. 

“He’ll be alright.” Lance frowned. “I hope.” 

“You hope?!” 

“I’m pretty sure he’s not going to die of a heart attack.” 

“You’re pretty sure?!” 

The rhythmic thump of Coran’s cane silenced the room. “Ladies, ladies. Is Keith okay?” 

“Mentally? No. Physically? Also no.” 

Lance could feel Coran’s look of disapproval bore into the back of his head, but he was also too tired to care. “Look, the Garrison is taking its toll on all of us. Realistically, we’re going to get farther in negotiations if we’re out from under its thumb.” 

“Is there even a way to do that?” Hunk asked. “When you try to leave, they usually kill you.” 

“They kill you?!” Allura gasped. 

“Technically, they don't kill you.” Pidge popped out from an air vent in the ceiling. “You just mysteriously commit suicide.” 

“Wha- Is that even legal?” 

“Most things the Garrison does isn’t legal. It’s just that no one questions it.” 

“Suddenly you pilots make a lot more sense,” Coran muttered under his breath. Lance glared at him half-heartedly before dropping his head back onto the couch. 

“Although, back to Hunk’s question, there is a way to leave without dying,” Pidge continued from his spot in the vents. “An honorable resignation. Basically, the person resigning or the captain of the force resigning sends a letter into the High Council, and if they approve, we leave without death.” 

“So all Keith has to do is write a letter?” Allura asked. “It’s brilliant!” 

“Here’s the thing; the Garrison has to like us. The Garrison doesn’t like us.” 

“Oh.” Allura blinked a couple of times. “That would be a problem.” 

“It’s worth a shot,” Hunk said, ever the optimist. “A letter of resignation is not the worst thing to be doing right now.” 

Lance sighed, rolling over and onto the floor, before getting up. “I’ll go talk to Keith.” 

The others rolled their eyes behind his back. They knew that he really cared about Keith, and was really worried about him; he’s just putting up that prickly facade to cope. So were they, if they were being honest with themselves. They all knew each other well enough to see through everyone else’s walls. And they knew each other well enough to leave it alone for now. To just hope for the best.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it, I finally finished this story. 
> 
> Enjoy your food.

_To the High Council of the Galaxy Garrison,_

_I formally request an honorable resignation for me and my team. We have been stationed on Arus for multiple months without aid and have managed to defend the planet successfully, and we have not gotten any aid when we have requested. In addition, we have successfully helped the Princess of Arus rebuild the planet._

_We have recently been made aware that the Garrison wants to move our team off of the planet. I object. We have made great strides in understanding Voltron, and to remove us from the lions would be detrimental. In addition, we have spent many months among the arusians and have become very important to arusian politics._

_I formally request an honorable resignation for Explorer Team 404._

_Thank you for your time,_

_Captain Keith Akira Kogane_

Keith relaxed as he sent the email, already feeling a little bit of the weight off of his shoulders. He sipped his black coffee, letting his eyes close for just a second-

He didn’t realize it, but while he was asleep, Lance carried him out of his office and laid him in bed.

* * *

Lance, Hunk, Pidge and Allura were all crowded around the door of Keith’s office, listening for any signs of what the email could be. They have had three other false alarms, but this wasn’t enough to stop them. 

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. 

Everyone looked at each other, then Lance opened the door carefully. The door opens to Keith slamming his head into his desk. 

_Captain Keith Akira Kogane,_

_Your resignation request has been denied. You and your team are to be recalled back to the S.S. Explorer._

_Sky Marshall Wade Markov_

“Hey, sweetheart,” Lance said, inching his way over to the desk. “Please stop slamming your head into the desk. That’s bad for your head.” 

Keith stopped slamming his head into the desk, simply laying it on the desk and letting out a very long groan. Lance just patted him on the back. 

The room was heavy in silence. It was Hunk who spoke up. “So. What now?” 

Allura huffed, a fire in her eyes. “Now, it’s time for the big girl to write a letter.”

* * *

Sky Marshall Wade Markov was not unused to dealing with stubborn people. He might just be another member of the High Council, but he didn’t get that position by being honest and working hard. He got it by being sneaky and manipulative, such as making deals with the various kingdoms of the Drule Empire.

“Sir!” One of the couriers saluted in the doorway, and Wade nodded. Most people will email, but the more powerful elites will use paper letters for more serious topics, so couriers are still needed. “A letter from Princess Allura on Planet Arus.” 

Wade perked up. Planet Arus is in the process of rebuilding itself, and mailing physical letters would be expensive. This must be important if the acting queen of Arus was willing to pay the steep price to mail a letter.

“Bring it to me,” Supreme Sky Marshall Osvald Denzel said, holding out his hand. The envelope looked old, and the addresses were written with an ink pen. The letter even had a wax seal, with the crest of Arus pressed into the crimson wax. The contents of the letter were projected up onto the screen for everyone to read, and Wade immediately noticed the fancy cursive and intricate signature. 

_To the High Council of the Galaxy Garrison,_

_I have been informed that you have declined the resignation request of Captain Kogane. I thus write to you today to appeal this decision._

_The pilots of Voltron have become an extremely important asset to Arus. They have bonded with the lions extremely well, and have already undertaken the ritual to become permanently bound to the lions, as well as each other. The only way the lions will accept another pilot now is if the current pilots are killed, which is to the detriment of the country._

_Voltron is an extremely important asset to both Arus and allies of Arus. The pilots of Voltron are just as important as the lions themselves. You must let the team stay on Arus._

____

_Thank you in advance,_

____

_Acting Queen Allura Movara Altea_

____

Everyone looked at each other, the same look of ‘oh shit’ on their face. 

____

“I would like to start the motion that we appeal the resignation request of Captain Kogane.” Sky Marshall Norris spoke up (that coward). “It is to our detriment to handicap Voltron, not while we are trying to study it, and we don’t want to be fighting a war on two fronts. Arus has gathered a number of allies to help them, and are a formidable threat.” 

____

“I second that motion.” 

____

Supreme Sky Marshall Denzel nodded, looking around the room. “Those in favor?” 

____

Almost every other hand in the room went up. Wade grumbled, but reluctantly put his hand up too. 

____

“Then it is decided. Explorer Team 404 will resign from the Galaxy Garrison.” 

____

____

* * *

____

____

Lance was pacing the room, filled with more nervous than Keith, who was usually a nervous wreck. To be fair, Keith was currently getting a massage from Hunk, whose massages are a literal god send. And Pidge was eating cheese. Like usual. 

____

They heard Allura’s squealing before she crashed into the room, an envelope with the Galaxy Garrison stamp on it. “We’ve got a response!” She shouted, before slamming into Lance, sending them both tumbling onto the floor. 

____

Pidge picked up the letter from his perch on the coffee table, ripping open the envelope and reading the short letter. “Acting Queen Allura Movara Altea. That’s your full name? OW! Anyways. Your appeal has been granted. Explorer Team 404 will be honorably discharged. Sky Marshall Wade Markov.” 

____

Keith looked up from where he was laying face down on the couch, legitimate sparkles in his eyes. “Really? We’re free?” 

____

“Yep. We’re free.” 

____

Keith grinned and sprang up, tackling Lance, who was just getting up off the ground. “We’re free!” 

____

The room burst out in cheers and celebration. Hunk picked them both up for a hug, with Pidge and Allura jumping in as well. Eventually, this resulted in them all laying on the floor. 

____

“We should do something to celebrate,” Hunk said breathlessly. “I can make more stopcock chicken?” 

____

They all chuckled at that, before Allura spoke up. “Well, I think it’s time for you all to be knighted.” 

____

They all looked at her in confusion, while she sat up. “Traditionally, once people start piloting the lions, the pilots are knighted as a special Knight of Voltron. It’s actually quite rare for someone to pilot the lions and not be knighted. And I think it’s time you were given the respect you deserve. The title holds a great degree of weight, especially among the nobles who recognize the title from before the war.” 

____

Everyone looked at each other. Keith smiled at the princess. “I think we’d all appreciate that.” 

____

Allura surprised everyone by lunging forward, pulling Keith into a bear hug. “I’m glad you’re alright, Keith.” 

____

He smiled, hugging back just as fiercely, and if anyone asked, he would’ve denied the tears welling up in his eyes. 

____

____

* * *

____

____

Keith had tied his hair back into a low ponytail, wearing his pilot uniform without the helmet. Lance hadn’t bothered to try to fix his hair, and that made him hotter. Which was not helping Keith, because Lance was very distracting and Keith can’t just make out with Lance in the middle of a ceremony. 

____

It wasn’t helping that the pilot suits were very snug around the ass, and that Lance was posing in front of the mirror while they were trying to get ready. 

____

Keith sighed, having stopped fussing with his hair to glare at his boyfriend. “Lance, I love you very much, but please stop being sexy when you need to be professional.” 

____

Lance rolled his eyes, draping himself on his boyfriend. “I think it’s working. And besides, I can be professional and sexy.” 

____

Keith glared at him, grabbing Lance’s face to shut him up. “Look. Don’t be infuriatingly sexy, and we can have sex after the ceremony.” 

____

“You know you’re hot when you’re pissed- I mean yes, yes I’ll be good.” 

____

“You better.” 

____

It took them ten more minutes to go and meet the others. 

____

____

* * *

____

____

Allura was dressed in her formal armor, standing in front of the pilots as they stood in a line. Coran stood to the side, holding her mother’s sword in his hands. They were in the plaza, and the people surrounded them. Twyla held the box containing the medals, holding a millenia worth of traditions. 

____

“We are all here today to honor the bravery of the five individuals who have stepped up and chosen to embrace the bonds with the lionesses of Voltron. I am here to gift them the highest title in our society: the Knights of the Lions.” 

____

Allura strode over to Coran, taking out the sword. The lion hilt felt comfortable in her hands, like it was meant to always be there. She walked back over towards Keith, who kneeled in front of her. 

____

“Do you vow to honor the bond to your lion, and to remain loyal to Arus?” She asked. She knew what the answer was going to be, but it was for the sake of the ceremony.

____

“I do.” Keith responded, no regret in his eyes. 

____

Allura lifted her sword, gently placing the sword on his shoulders. “Then rise, not as Keith, but as Sir Kogane, Knight of the Black Lion.” 

____

He stood up, a small smile on his face as Twyla pinned the medal on his breast. The medal was a silver lion with a black and gold ribbon. It looked like it belonged on his chest. 

____

She smiled, heading over to Lance. Lance’s eyes widened, before he dropped to one knee, and Allura barely avoided laughing. 

____

“Do you vow to honor the bond to your lion, and to remain loyal to Arus?” 

____

“I do.” 

____

Allura placed the sword upon his shoulders. “Then rise, not as Lance, but as Sir McClain, Knight of the Red Lion.” 

____

Lance stood up with the smuggest grin she had ever seen on his face. The red and gold ribbon fit perfectly on his breast. 

____

Pidge kneeled, and Allura had to keep herself from laughing at how short he was. 

____

“Do you vow to honor the bond to your lion, and to remain loyal to Arus?” 

____

“I do.” 

____

She couldn’t reach his shoulders, so she placed the blade on his hair instead. “Then rise, not as Pidge, but as Sir Gunderson, Knight of the Green Lion.” 

____

If she thought Lance’s grin was smug, Pidge’s was even smugger. The green and gold ribbon didn’t quite match his headband, but nothing about Pidge ever matched. 

____

Hunk kneeled respectfully, actually closing his eyes, probably due to the fact that he had gotten his arm sliced off. Her heart was warmed by the immense amount of trust he had in her. 

____

“Do you vow to honor the bond to your lion, and to remain loyal to Arus?” 

____

“I do.” 

____

She gently and slowly placed the sword upon his shoulders, trying to be as gentle as possible. “Then rise, not as Hunk, but as Sir Garrett, Knight of the Yellow Lion.” 

____

Hunk stood up, a big and genuine smile on his face, and she could swear that his face flushed when Twyla pinned the medal to his chest. The yellow and gold ribbon looked quite nice on him, and it seemed that Twyla agreed with her. 

____

Allura walked over to Coran, offering him the sword. “For this next part of the ceremony, Coran will be the voice of my, and the people’s, will.” 

____

He took the sword gently out of her hand as she knelt in front of him. “Do you vow to honor the bond to your lion, and to remain loyal to Arus?” 

____

“I do.” The words were out of her mouth with no hesitation.

____

She felt the sword placed on her pauldrons, yet felt no fear. “Then rise, not as Allura, but as Sir Altea, Knight of the Blue Lion.” 

____

She rose, and Twyla pinned the blue and gold ribbon to her breastplate as the crowd cheered. She basked in the cheers for a moment or two, before motioning to the crowd to stop. 

____

“For a short time, Sven Holgersson piloted the blue lion, and though those days may have been short, they were invaluable.” Allura picked up the last medal, with its blue and silver ribbon. “Therefore, I name him Sir Holgersson, Honorary Knight of the Blue Lion.” 

____

The crowd cheered, and as they stood there, medals on their chest and surrounded by the people they spent so long defending, the Voltron Force couldn’t help but feel like things were slowly starting to turn around for the better. 

____


End file.
